Ellen DeGeneres’ American Idol Debut Receives Mixed Reviews

When Paula Abdul resigned from her post as a judge on American Idol via Twitter, many were hesitant on talk show host and comedienne, Ellen Degeneres replacing her on the panel. Her debut aired last night on Fox as part of the Hollywood phase for contestants, and although we’ve seen her as a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance this past summer, her demeanor on the competitive singing show seemed to show some surprising poise and just enough wit to ease viewers’ anxieties.

Avid American Idol viewers or as some people would call themselves, “experts,” couldn’t wait to put their two cents in on DeGeneres’ performance as a newly christened judge. Although mixed, the results have generally come in positive.

Whereas Abdul took the role of the sugar-coating judge who over-zealously clapped or danced along to a contestant she obviously approved of, DeGeneres was able to actually take a dignified seat at the panel where she played close attention and didn’t zone out with the exception for the contestant in which she apologized to by saying, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

According to MTV, Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly claims that DeGeneres seems to be a good fit for the show by stating,

“Ellen DeGeneres may not have years of experience in the music industry, but who cares? Her ability to sit still, be quiet and … actually pay attention to what’s happening on the stage in front of her could set an exciting new precedent for ‘American Idol’ ‘s generally frustrating judges’ panel. Yes indeed, the show is actually about discovering the next generation of music superstars, not watching four nimrods at a table drawing mustaches on each other, misstating pertinent facts about music history and finding new and annoying ways to make the phrase ‘you gave it 100 percent’ their own.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Dave Della Terza, of “Idol” spoiler site,Vote For The Worst, thought DeGeneres fell short:

“The first Hollywood episode was a bit underwhelming, because most of it was taken up by Ellen DeGeneres trying to be funny and failing miserably [...] At least Kara DioGuardi can finally give away the title of Most Contrived Idol Judge.”

Although DeGeneres still reminded viewers and contestants that she is the joker of the panel, her critiques were far from jokes as her humor did not interfere with her advice to the singers. Los Angeles Times‘ Ann Powers took on a similar path to Slezak and described the comedienne’s role:

“Hollywood Week’s big news turned out a fizzle Tuesday night — not because Ellen DeGeneres was bad, or offensive, or much of anything, as a judge, but because she seamlessly fit into the patter and often meaningless ‘critique’ at the judges’ table, the way a bottle of San Pellegrino fits in on a Beverly Hills brunch table. Quietly bubbly and refreshing enough, DeGeneres said nothing of consequence […] Her calm demeanor and deadpan wit have already exerted a calming influence on Randy and Kara, if not Simon (who seemed disconnected tonight), and the judges’-panel schtick that had turned into a bunch of tics last year might actually regain its rhythm.”

MTV’s own Jim Cantiell, who initially had reservations DeGeneress fame taking over the show, even came to agree that she certainly brought one thing to the table:  Passion. To be a judge on American Idol, passion should be a prerequisite. However, Ellen seems to be giving feedback with enough credibility even though she is not part of the music industry. This factor, perhaps, is the most pleasantly surprising thing about her presence on the show.

What do you think of Ellen DeGeneres as an American Idol judge so far? Do you agree with these experts?